


Bakery and Books

by eyes_glued_shut



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, based off of a prompt, its all just fluff, keith sleepwalks too, keith works at a library, lance works at a bakery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 21:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9517070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyes_glued_shut/pseuds/eyes_glued_shut
Summary: "you work in a library and i work in a bakery and i give you a cupcake once a week so that you’ll allow me to keep books a few days over the due date but i don’t think i come for the books anymore au"---Lance works at the local bakery part time, Keith works at the library part time. Lance has a great way to repay Keith when he wants to keep a book.





	

Altea College was known for three things: the events held there, the food and the library. The latter was mainly known by the students, as it seemed to be a never ending place for research. They had books from the beginnings of time to ways to make space travel easier. It was an odd place, but it gave the students a wide range of topics to look at if they needed it. The library also hired students to come in and work for a few hours, just to make sure everything was running smoothly. It was a fast and easy way to make money, which was one of the main reasons Keith took up this job. He also liked how quiet this place was. Even though it was a pretty big library, it was always quiet. The only sounds were pages turning or hushed whispers from students studying. The library was never too crowded, either. Few people sat in small groups, mumbling to themselves as they studied for whatever exam was coming up soon.  It was a nice place and Keith didn’t mind working here one bit.

He had two shifts today, one just before lunch, from 11:30 to 12:30, and then one from 13:00 to 14:30. He then had class straight after his last shift, which meant he was only four hours away from being able to go home. Only four hours to go…

Keith spent the beginning of his shift wandering up and down the aisles, replacing books back into their rightful place and occasionally overhearing what other students were talking about. His friend, Pidge, (he guessed he considered a friend), would be starting their shift soon, and Keith was looking forward to seeing them. They would tap away at the computer at the main desk, and signing out books to whoever needed it. From an outsider’s point of view, Pidge looked like a normal student doing work, but really they were finding out a way to take out certain books from the library’s archive. It was all part of an elaborate plan they and Keith had formed, and the two only stuck with this job so they could do it. It wasn’t stealing if the books had never existed, right?

The day was moving rather slowly, only a few people coming in as Keith started his shift. Pidge was in class for another hour, so he was left alone, sitting at the main desk and using the computer to search up books that were needed in his and Pidge’s plan. He heard a cough come from in front of him and looked up, seeing a guy with at least five books in his hands.

“Hey, is Pidge on their shift yet?” The guy asked, and Keith shook his head. Was Pidge a favorite in the library? Did people like them more than Keith? Either way, this meant that Keith didn’t have to bother sorting out this guy and his five books. They were probably all over due anyway. The guy looked like an irresponsible person.

The guy sighed. “Well, when are they on? I have some things I need to give to them that I kinda owe them,” he said, leaning against the counter. “Not that it’s super important. I could just give them to you and you can pass on the message to them that I was here.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’m not your personal messenger. Pidge’s shift starts in thirty minutes, when they’re out of class. You’re going to have to wait,” he said, turning in his chair to go back to typing. He heard the guy groan, before making his way to sit at a nearby table. Keith looked over at the guy quickly, before going back to typing.

“Pidge is normally in at this time. Did you take their job?” The guy asked, and Keith tried his best to ignore him. He tried. He tried blocking out the rambling that the guy was going on about.

“Do you mind shutting up?” Keith asked after the one sided conversation went to why Pidge preferred doughnuts to cookies. “I have work to do and you’re really distracting me. If you want to see Pidge so badly they’re in class, so feel free to interrupt them.”

That seemed to shut the guy up, and Keith managed to work in silence for half an hour, before Pidge walked in. They walked over to the desk, smiling at Keith and throwing their bag down by the computer. “Did you find out how to erase the books from the library’s database?” They asked as Keith stood up to let Pidge sit down.

“No, but I did find that there’s at least thirteen books on aliens in the library, and three of them have information in them that could help us,” he said, pointing to a list that was on a post it note by the keyboard. Pidge read through it, before nodding.

“Can you go find those books? I can scan them out and see if there’s any way we can accidentally delete them,” they asked, and Keith took the post it note.

“Sure. You want all thirteen?” He asked, noticing the guy from earlier stand up and make his way to the desk. Pidge shrugged, before smiling at Keith. It was then Keith saw that Pidge looked exhausted. “Also, did you get any sleep last night? You looked worse than usual.”

“Get all thirteen. We can’t leave this half-finished. The more books the better.” They frowned at Keith’s last comment. “It’s not my fault. _You_ called me at three am to talk about polar bears.”

“I did what? I was asleep at three,” Keith said, before remembering that he sometimes did things in his sleep – like call Pidge about random things or take freezing cold showers in the middle of the night. He had a weird history with sleep walking, apparently. It just added to his personality, as people would say.

Pidge just laughed, and turned their attention to the guy, who was trying to be discreet about listening into their conversation. “Hey, Lance.”

“Hey,” the guy, Lance said, nervously looking Keith up and down before leaning closer to Pidge and whispering something Keith couldn’t work out. He decided that he wasn’t involved in whatever they were discussing, and headed off to find the thirteen books.

It didn’t take him long to give Pidge twelve out of the thirteen books. The last of the books was placed high up on the top shelf, and Keith mentally cursed himself for being just _too short to reach that goddamn book._ He looked up and down the aisle, just to make sure no one was watching him, and jumped to try and grab the book. It wasn’t even that high up, but whatever was controlling the universe did not want him to reach this book. He jumped again, groaning when he knocked down a different book. It fell onto the floor, and Keith stood there for a few moments, just to make sure no one was going to come down and see him.

When he knew no one was coming, he jumped again, trying to reach it. When that didn’t work for the third time, he took a few steps back, ready to make a running leap for it. He ran up to the shelf and jumped, and _somehow_ still missing the stupid book. He heard laughter, and turned around.

“Need any help?” Lance was standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and a stupid smirk on his face. Keith mumbled something under his breath and picked up the book that fell on the floor. He’ll put that back later.

“Can I help you with anything?” Keith asked through gritted teeth. He did not want Lance to be anywhere near him. He just got weird vibes from the guy, and totally not because Lance just witnessed him jumping to reach a book.

Lance shook his head, the stupid smirk never leaving his stupid face. “Nah, I just want to see how long it’s going to take you to get the book. There’s a stool in the next aisle, you know.”

“I don’t need a stool,” Keith said. “If you aren’t doing anything you should go bother someone else.”

“You can’t make me go annoy someone else. Besides, some may consider it a good thing to be annoyed by me,” Lance said, leaning against the bookshelf. “I want to watch you try and get the book.”

Keith rolled his eyes, standing on tiptoes to try and reach the book. He was going to get it. He had to. So then he could rub it in Lance’s face that he wasn’t too short to get it. He stretched his arm out just a little more and –

“Here you go,” Lance said, holding out the book for Keith to take. Keith looked from the book to Lance and raised an eyebrow.

“Uh… Thanks?” He said, reaching out to grab it. Lance pulled it away and smiled.

“Before I give it to you, you have to give me your number,” Lance said, a stupid grin on his stupid face.

“Hah, no, I wouldn’t do that,” Keith said, catching Lance off guard and grabbing the book. “Thanks for the help, though.” He turned on his heel and walked down the aisle, going back to the desk to hand the last book to Pidge. Why did Lance even want his number? Keith shoved that thought to the back of his mind as he got to the desk.

Once the books were in Pidge’s hands, Keith got ready to leave. His shift ended soon, and as much as he wanted to help his friend out, he had class to get to. He said his goodbyes to Pidge and walked out of the library, going to find a nearby vending machine to get some food. Keith never really went to any of the cafeterias on campus, as he found them to be too crowded and the food was too weird for his liking. Then again, vending machine food wasn’t any better. He took the candy bar out and went off to his last class of the day.

Once class was over, he noticed he had a message from Shiro, asking if he wanted to go get food with him now. Keith agreed, and headed into the library to wait. The library had a good view of the main road outside, so Keith usually waited there until he could see Shiro’s car.

He and Shiro were childhood friends, always bumping into each other wherever Keith went. Going from foster home to foster home, Keith could always rely on seeing Shiro somewhere. It was a weird, yet oddly reassuring sight to see. His last foster parents lived right next to Shiro’s parent’s home, and before Keith moved out, he would always try and hang out with Shiro whenever he visited.

Shiro was one of Keith’s only friends.

He sat down at one of the tables by the window. His phone buzzed, and he checked it to make sure it wasn’t Shiro cancelling.

 

**(15:54) Pidge:** _did lance give you a white box???_

**(15:54) Pidge:** _cus he was supposed to give me something but I don’t have it_

Keith looked around, spotting a box that was at the desk. He guessed that that was the one Pidge was asking about. Once the girl who was on the library shift went to do something else, he walked over and grabbed the white box. It had a bit of weight to it, and Keith didn’t want to know what was in it as he sat back at the table by the window.

**(15:56) Keith:** _There’s a box here. Do you want me to come give it to you?_

**(15:56) Pidge:** _nah, im on my way to the library anyway, ill come get it :D_

As he waited for Pidge, he heard his phone buzz, and picked it up, thinking it was Pidge.

**(16:00) Unknown Number:** _young billy ray cyrus!_

**(16:00) Unknown Number:** _that’s who you reminded me of!!!_

His phone went back in his pocket. That was definitely not Pidge. He assumed that it was a wrong number or something, and didn’t think much of it from then on.

Keith soon felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Pidge standing there. They had a large grin on their face, and a glint in their eyes which made Keith feel like they were _up to something._

“Hey! Thanks for keeping the box safe for me,” they said, picking up the white box and opening it up. Inside was a variety of cupcakes. “Take one as a thanks.”

“Why do you have cupcakes? Wait, why did Lance give you cupcakes?” Keith asked, looking up at Pidge. “Are you two…?”

Pidge laughed loudly. “Pfft, no, we aren’t. I’m offended you would even think that. I let Lance keep some books over their return date and he pays me back with cupcakes from the bakery he works at. They’re _really_ good. You should take one.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, looking from the cupcakes to Pidge. “So this is your way of getting free food, huh? You keep the cupcakes. I don’t really want one.”

“Yup! Lance’s bakery has the best cupcakes, and you just missed out on having one for free!” They said, closing the lid and taking a step back. “Well, I should be going now! Oh, by the way, I may have accidentally given Lance your number so…”

Before Keith could form a sentence to reply to that, Pidge was gone. So that was Lance, then. He took his phone out and saw that Lance had kept on talking to him.

**(16:02) Unknown Number:** _but don’t tell my heart, my achy breaky heart_

**(16:02) Unknown Number:** _that’s ur new name on my phone_

**(16:02) Unknown Number:** _young billy ray cyrus_

**(16:06) Keith:** _Please go away._

**(16:06) Unknown Number:** _holy shit you actually replied_

**(16:06) Unknown Number:** _pidge told me you wouldn’t_

**(16:06) Unknown Number:** _so young billy ray cyrus, whats my name in ur phone. I think we should match_

**(16:06) Unknown Number:** _my name is now current day billy ray cyrus on ur phone k?_

**(16:07) Keith:** _I’m not even going to add your number into my contacts. Go away._

**(16:07) Unknown Number:** _boo, you suck._

**(16:07) Unknown Number:** _wait no change my name to “lance aka the best guy I know”_

Keith sighed. He only added Lance’s number into his contacts to get him to shut up and stop talking.

**(16:08) Keith:** _Okay, I’ve added you and given you a name._

**(16:08) Lance:** _aaaaaah whats my name in it ??????_

**(16:08) Keith:** _Lance. Just Lance._

**(16:08) Lance:** _:((((( wow thats boring_

**(16:09) Lance:** _okay pidge ill add him to our chat_

**(16:09) Lance:** _wait shit no wrong number you aren’t supposed to know it was me who added you to the chat_

Keith shoved his phone away and grabbed his bag, thankful that Shiro had turned up outside before he could be added into any group chat. He walked out of the library and outside, towards where Shiro’s car was parked. It wasn’t often that Keith got to hang out with Shiro, as he spent most of his time out of town. It was nice to meet up and just do stuff together. He got into the car, and smiled at Shiro.

“Jeez, Keith, you look stressed out. You aren’t overworking yourself, are you?” Shiro asked, driving away from campus. Keith just sighed, turning off his phone.

“One of Pidge’s friends keeps messaging me. Like, sure, I appreciate that Pidge might be worried about my lack of friends, but he’s just annoying. I have no idea how they can put up with him,” Keith explained, slouching down in the seat. He hoped Shiro was driving to the ice cream place so he could get a milkshake. He really needed a milkshake.

“I’m sure he can’t be that annoying,” Shiro said, stopping the car as they got to a red light. “Is he as annoying as Sam from fifth grade?”

“Ugh, he’s more annoying than Sam from fifth grade,” Keith mumbled, tapping his fingers against his phone. He thought about turning it back on, but he knew that Lance would be messaging him, so he decided against it. “He’s like Sam from fifth grade and Lucy from third grade combined into one.”

“Huh, he must be pretty annoying, then.” They carried on driving for a while in a comfortable silence, before Shiro pulled up outside a place Keith hadn’t seen. He frowned a little, glancing over at Shiro.

“My, uh, friend works here, and I said I would come visit her bakery. I thought I’d bring you along as well. We can go to our usual place tomorrow, if you want?” Shiro said, and Keith just shrugged.

“As long as you buy me a milkshake tomorrow,” Keith said, as they both got out of Shiro’s car.

The bell chimed as they opened the door, and Keith was hit in the face with a strong smell of bread and pastries. He looked around as Shiro walked to the counter, and Keith couldn’t help but notice this place felt rather homely… Whatever that meant. He followed Shiro to the counter, as a girl walked out from the back. Her face lit up at the sight of Shiro.

“Hey! You came!” She grinned, tying her apron up and walking towards the two. She grabbed a notebook and looked from Shiro to Keith. “You never told me you had a brother.”

“Oh, no, this is Keith, childhood friends, you could say. Keith, this is Allura, she’s a friend,” Shiro said, introducing them both to each other. Keith looked over at Shiro with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on his face. _Friends? Yeah, sure._

“It’s nice to meet you, Keith,” Allura said with a smile. “Now, what can I get you? We’ve got a new batch of those cookies you said you liked coming out of the oven soon, if you’re not in a rush.”

Shiro nodded, and Allura called out to someone about the cookies. Keith turned on his phone, deciding to pass the time by reading and ignoring Lance’s messages. Shiro and Allura started talking about something, and Keith sat down at the closest table.

**(16:10) Lance:** _don’t ignore me young billy ray cyrus_

**(16:10) Lance:** _ill find you and I will tie ur mullet up into a ponytail_

**(16:10) Lance:** _don’t ignore my messages_

**(16:10) Lance:** _come on I wont add u to the chat don’t worry_

**(16:11) Lance:** _pidge he isn’t replying what do I do now_

**(16:11) Lance:** _shithsithsit wrong person_

**(16:11) Lance:** _google how do u delete a message_

**(16:12) Lance:** _oh no im gon be late for work now thank s a lot young billy ray cyrus for makin me get distracted aaaaaaaaaah_

That was a lot less than Keith expected. He sighed to himself, putting the phone down on the table as Shiro walked over with two cups of coffee. He handed on to Keith and sat down next to him.

“I don’t understand how you can drink your coffee black, Keith,” Shiro said, looking at Keith’s phone as it buzzed.

“And I don’t understand how you called Allura a friend when you obviously like her,” Keith said, taking a sip from his coffee and checking his phone. It was only Lance complaining about something. He put it down again.

“Shhh, she’s just a friend,” Shiro whispered, lightly hitting Keith’s arm. “Maybe I like her, maybe I don’t. Either way she’s just a friend.”

Keith laughed – it was more like a snort, and kept on drinking his coffee. He opened his mouth to talk again, but he was cut off by the bell on the door chiming and a loud yell.

“I’m not late! Coran! Don’t mark me late! Ah! HUNK! BACK ME UP HERE I’M NOT LATE!”

Keith looked over at the door and wanted to hit his head against the table hard enough to knock him out. Why did Lance have to work here? Here, out of all the bakeries? Why here? He watched as Lance climbed over the counter, and grabbing a blue apron and putting it on. Allura sighed, and she told Lance something that Keith couldn’t hear.

“That’s the Lucy from third grade and Sam from fifth grade hybrid, by the way,” Keith said to Shiro, who watched as Lance was being made to clean by some guy with a moustache. “He has me saved in his phone as “Young Billy Ray Cyrus”.”

Shiro almost choked on his coffee as he tried not to laugh. “I mean, if we dye your hair brown…” He stopped talking when he noticed Keith glaring at him. He cleared his throat. “You’re the only one I know who can work a mullet, though.”

“Young Billy Ray Cyrus wasn’t even the best era of his,” Keith mumbled under his breath, watching Lance mop up the floor near them. The bell chimed again, and Keith was too busy listening to Shiro talk about something that happened to him the other day to look at who entered. It wasn’t until someone had sat down beside Keith that he noticed it was Pidge.

“Hey Keith!” They smiled at Keith. “Shiro.” They nodded at Shiro. “What brings you two to this wonderful bakery?” They asked, ignoring Lance’s unsubtle whispers to get their attention.

“Hey, Pidge. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Shiro said, raising an eyebrow at Keith’s frown at Pidge. (Keith only recently found out that Shiro went to the same university as Pidge’s brother, Matt. It was a small world.) “We were visiting Allura. What brings you here?”

“I came to laugh at Lance being late,” they said, smiling as they heard Lance groan as he got dirty floor water on his shoes. Keith took this opportunity to ask Pidge about the Lance situation.

“Why did you give him my number? I hope you know I currently despise you, Pidge,” Keith said, taking a sip of his coffee and ignoring Pidge’s pout.

“It was an accident! I’m definitely not trying to make you become friends with my friends,” Pidge said, smiling widely at Keith, who just rolled his eyes at his friend.

Allura came over with a plate of fresh cookies, and smiled when she noticed Pidge. She placed the plate in the middle of the table. “Here you are. They might still be warm, or even a bit burnt, sorry about that.” She said. “Oh, hello Pidge. It’s nice to see you here. You want the usual? Coran’s experimenting with his doughnut recipe, and I’m sure he’s appreciate your help with it.”

Pidge nodded. “Oh, yeah! That sounds great. Thanks, Allura,” they said with a smile. Keith watched Allura walk back away and began to wonder how everyone knew each other. It was getting rather freaky.

Once Allura was gone, Lance walked over, leaning against the mop and smiling. “Hey there, young Billy Ray Cyrus,” he said, and Keith wanted to wipe that stupid smile off of Lance’s stupid face. He looked over at Shiro and stood up a little straight. Keith raised an eyebrow at that.

“Lance, did you ever add Keith into the group chat?” Pidge asked, and Lance shook his head.

“Nah, I was going to be late for work if I stuck around to add him,” Lance said, pretending to mop up as Allura came back out to serve another customer who had just walked in.

Pidge got out their phone, their thumbs moving quickly before they smiled over at Keith. “You’re welcome. You’re officially part of the group.”

Keith looked down at his phone and saw the notification that he had been added to a group. He looked over at Shiro, who was being rather quiet, and noticed Shiro was scrolling through some social media page on his own phone. Huh. He was in a group chat.

**_Participants:_ **

**_Pidgeon_ **

**_Hunk Man_ **

**_Lancey Boiiii_ **

**_Space Mom_ **

**_Coran the Gorgeous Man_ **

**_Keith_ **

“Well, we’re going to have to give you a nickname,” Pidge said, tapping their chin in thought. Lance’s eyes lit up, and Keith noticed and shook his head.

“Young Billy Ray Cyrus is going to be his nickname!” Lance screamed excitedly, and Keith groaned.

“No, please, anything but that,” he mumbled, hearing Shiro chuckle. “Don’t laugh, Shiro!”

“I’m not laughing,” Shiro said, laughing. “I think young Billy Ray Cyrus is a good nickname for you.”

“See! Someone gets my jokes,” Lance said, watching Pidge change Keith’s nickname into something other than the one he wanted.

“You’re now ‘Emo Keith’,” Pidge said, and before Keith could protest, they carried on talking. “Remember when you finished watching that ghost hunting show and got super emo over the fact that the show got cancelled? That’s my reasoning behind the name.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t say anything. He went to eat one of the cookies Allura brought out and went back to scrolling on his phone.

Time passed quite quickly, and soon enough they were closing up shop. Keith met the man behind the nickname “Hunk Man” and “Coran the Gorgeous Man”, and they even added Shiro into the chat. (Keith made sure to change his name to “Space Dad” before anyone could change it into something else.)

 

On the way back, Keith and Shiro sat in comfortable silence. Keith looked at his phone, watching the messages file through one by one. He was too awkward to make a comment, but he would roll his eyes whenever Lance wrote something stupid.

Shiro dropped him outside his apartment building and they said their goodbyes. The plan for tomorrow was to get milkshakes after class together. Keith headed up the flight of stairs to get to his apartment and sighed. He preferred living here than on campus as he had more room here than in a cramped up dorm room. He also liked being left alone, and the rent wasn’t that expensive, either. Overall, it was a nicer place than the dorm rooms on campus. (He had seen Pidge’s room, and almost felt sorry for them.)

After a quick shower, Keith laid on his bed, just reading through the messages that were being sent on the chat.

**(20:43) Hunk Man:** _I’m not saying that Lance is right, but glazed doughnuts are better than sprinkled doughnuts_

**(20:43) Space Mom:** _Hunk, you are mistaken. Sprinkles add more flavour!_

**(20:43) Pidgeon:** _I agree w/ allura, sprinkled doughnuts just taste better!!_

**(20:44) Lancey Boiiii:** _pidge, my dear friend. no_

**(20:44) Hunk Man:** _sprinkled doughnuts are messy,, glazed is where its at!!!_

Keith wanted to add his own opinion, but he didn’t really have an opinion on what doughnut was the best. They had been going on about this for almost an hour, and Keith began to regret being added into this chat.

 

**(20:45) Space Dad:** _you all are wrong, jelly doughnuts are the best._

 

Keith rolled his eyes at Shiro’s contribution to the chat. He had no problem beating down Shiro’s opinion.

 

**(20:45) Emo Keith:** _Shut up, Shiro. You have no taste in doughnuts._

**(20:45) Lancey Boiiii:** _what doughnut flavour do u like billy ray???_

**(20:46) Emo Keith:** _…  Cinnamon sugar doughnuts._

**(20:46) Pidgeon:** _NO NO NO KEITH NO WE ARENT FRIENDS ANYMORE THAT’S SO BORING_

**(20:46) Hunk Man:** _oh my gosh no dude why??? That’s such a boring flavour why ???_

**(20:46) Space Dad:** _see Keith, no one likes your flavour._

**(20:46) Lancey Boiiii:** _oh my god no billy ray this is why no one likes your music yoU DON’T LIKE GOOD FOOD_

**(20:46) Space Mom:** _Keith, what planet are you on?? Sprinkled doughnuts all the way!_

Keith decided this was a losing argument, and he went to put his phone on charge and get ready to sleep. He had an 8am class tomorrow, so he needed to get to sleep early. After one last check of the chat, he went to sleep.

 

The morning arrived quickly, and Keith woke up before his alarm. He got ready to leave for his run, deciding that was the best thing to do now. He was surprised when he came back home from his run to see a good morning text from Lance. Out of all people, Lance messaged him good morning? It was weird and Keith didn’t know what to reply with.

**(07:32) Lance:** _godomornif kee f :))))_

**(07:32) Lance:** _uhhgh im o s do tire d_

Well, Keith didn’t expect anything different from Lance. He left to go to class and decided to reply as he walked.

**(07:40) Keith:** _Good morning, Lance._

He arrived to class on time, and couldn’t help but get distracted by Lance’s messages. He didn’t reply to them all, though.

**(07:40) Lance:** _wyh do oy u like cinan mon doughnut s??????_

**(07:40) Lance:** _theyr e go r ssos???? Uhg gi m so tire d help_

**(07:41) Lance:** _why y y did I I signi uo for 8a am classes ????_

**(07:42) Lance:** _im gonnnna be late help mebilly ray_

As he put his phone away, someone walked in and Keith looked over at the door.  Wait, since when was Lance in his physics class? He really needed to pay more attention to who was in his class. He listened as Lance got told off for being fifteen minutes late. Keith looked down at his notebook as Lance walked over to his desk, which was two seats away from Keith’s desk. Fuck, he really needed to pay more attention to who was in his class.

Keith noticed a notification pop up on his phone from Lance, and he read it quickly.

**(08:16) Lance:** _the teacher is so uncool in this class I hate him he just yelled at me???? I wastn even that late????_

Keith looked over at Lance, who obviously hadn’t noticed him and sighed.

**(08:17) Keith:** _I know. I’m sitting two seats away from you, Lance._

He noticed Lance was now looking at him, the stupid grin back on his stupid face and he went back to texting.

**(08:18) Lance:** _dude wtf how long have u been in my class??_

**(08:18) Lance:** _wttf billy r ay hwy didn’t you tell me u were in my class????? Im so upset u didn’t say anything !!!!!_

**(08:20) Keith:** _Lance, shut up. I’m trying to listen._

Keith turned off his phone, ignoring Lance’s not-so-subtle whispers to get his attention. He managed to ignore him for a while, and Lance gave up trying to get Keith to listen to him.

Once class was over, Keith was quick to leave, hoping that Lance wouldn’t bother trying to catch up to him. Unfortunately for him, Lance seemed to be pretty fast at walking and caught up to him quickly.

“You never told me you were in my physics class!” Lance exclaimed, still putting books away in his bag as he walked alongside Keith.

“You never asked. Besides, it’s not like I knew you were in the same class as me, either,” Keith replied, watching Lance struggle to put in his last book in the bag.

He did it, zipped up his bag and slung it onto his bag. “Where are you off to now, huh?” He asked.

“I have a break for twenty minutes and then I have English,” Keith said, and Lance’s eyes widened. He worried that if Lance’s eyes grew any bigger that they might fall out.

“This is so spooky… Have you copied my timetable?” Lance asked, squinting at Keith suspiciously. “I have English next. Room 65, right?

Keith nodded. “Yeah…” Huh. That’s two classes Lance and he shared. And he never noticed.

“Did you do the homework? If so, can I copy yours? Hunk’s gonna kill me if I ask to copy his again,” Lance said, and Keith looked up at Lance with an odd look. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Lance, the homework was to read,” Keith said, his face dropping. “We had to read Hamlet. You can’t copy me if you didn’t read it.”

“Wait, wait, we were supposed to read it?” Lance stopped walking, and Keith ended up pulling him along before he blocked up the hallway.

“Yes, and today we are quizzed on it.” Keith said, loosening his grip on Lance’s arm once they got near the English room.

“Oh no.”

“Oh yeah.”

 

English ended with Lance ranting to Keith and Hunk about how much he failed that test, and it was soon time for lunch. Keith was ready to go say goodbye and eat somewhere alone, but Lance had grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving.

“You’re part of the squad, Keith. You gotta eat with the squad!” Lance said, grinning widely. Hunk nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! I brought in almond cookies to share with everyone as well. Allura doesn’t know about it, so don’t bring it up later, okay Lance?” Hunk said, and Lance nodded. He playfully punched Hunk’s arm.

“Don’t worry! I take food from the bakery all the time!” Lance laughed, and Keith zoned out from their conversation. They got to the cafeteria and sat down where Pidge was sitting.

“Woah, is that… Is that Keith? Sitting in a cafeteria?” Pidge asked, adjusting their glasses and widened their eyes. Keith rolled his eyes.

“I was dragged here against my will,” he said, and Lance scoffed.

“Puh-lease, you were going to eat alone, and as an official squad member, I can’t allow that!” Lance said, as Keith sighed.

Lunch was spent with Lance trying to get more information about Keith’s personal life, Hunk trying to figure out where he had seen Keith before (he remembered that they met last night) and Pidge trying to calm Lance down. It was a normal lunch time, for everyone except Keith.

 

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, and it was soon time for Keith to head home. He looked at his phone, seeing a message from Shiro to meet him in the usual place so they could get milkshakes together, and he couldn’t help but smile a little.

He was… feeling rather good about his life.

 

\---

A while had passed since the whole “Keith became sort of friends with Pidge’s friend group”, and Keith was… happy? That wasn’t the best word to describe how he was feeling, but it was better than nothing. He kept Shiro updated on his new friends, and in return Shiro kept Keith updated on him and Allura. (Keith was certain that Shiro had feelings for Allura. It was pretty obvious.)

Keith was working at the library, waiting for Pidge to join him. They had to stay behind after class to ask something, which left Keith alone for just a little longer than normal. He was interrupted from his work by Lance, who was walking towards Keith, pointing his fingers and clicking his tongue.

“Keith, my pal, my buddy, my chum. How’s it going, mullet man?” Lance said, leaning against the counter. “If a box of cinnamon sugared doughnuts juuuust so happen to be on this desk-“ he paused to push a box closer to Keith, “would the said doughnuts be a good bribe to let me keep the book on space travel for a few extra days?”

Keith typed on the computer, and raised an eyebrow. “Lance, that book is a _year_ overdue. That’s almost a four hundred dollar fine!” He exclaimed, and Lance pushed the doughnuts more towards Keith.

“But free doughnuts,” Lance sung out, gesturing to the box with a hopeful smile.

“You insulted the type of doughnuts I liked a while ago. Why should I accept this?” Keith asked, and Lance’s face dropped.

“Oh come on, we both know that glazed is the best!” Lance said, standing up straight and placing his hands on his hips. “I snuck out doughnuts from the bakery. You have to let me keep the book!”

Keith looked up at Lance, who was now pouting and was giving Keith puppy-dog eyes. Ugh. “How many days do you want to keep it for?” He asked, grabbing the doughnuts and putting them under the desk by his bag.

“Three days! Thanks a bunch, Keith,” Lance said, watching Keith type on the computer and look back at him.

“It’s done. You can go now,” Keith said, and waited for Lance to leave. Lance stood there for a few moments, mumbled something like _“wow that actually worked,”_ before leaving.

 

**(13:58) Pidge:** _shoot keith im gonna be even later,, my teacher isn’t letting me leave until I explain to him why I need three old computer hard drives_

**(13:58) Pidge:** _hes left the room but he wont let me escape_

**(13:59) Pidge:** _how am I supposed to get my free cupcakes from lance if im stuck here???_

Keith smiled at the message, and looked back at the box of doughnuts. He then frowned. Huh. Lance must’ve planned it out so that he would be on his shift instead of Pidge. They didn’t like the type of doughnuts Lance brought – either Lance had memorised when he was on his shift or he had planned this out.

**(14:00) Keith:** _Lance just stopped by, and guess who got the free food this time? :)_

**(14:01) Pidge:** _you little…_

**(14:01) Pidge:** _wait, you got the cupcakes?_

**(14:01) Pidge:** _I thought you had something against cupcakes?_

**(14:02) Keith:** _He brought in doughnuts._

**(14:02) Pidge:** _cinnamon sugared doughnuts?_

**(14:04) Keith:** _The only acceptable type, but yes. It’s weird when I tried to think about it, but hey, free food._

Keith decided to leave Pidge be, as his shift was ending soon. He put the doughnuts in his bag, making sure not to squish them, and his phone vibrated.

**(14:09) Lance:** _hunk I just gave keith 3 doughnuts is that too much??? It was the ones he liked so ???_

**(14:09) Lance:** _was that too weird ??? hunk answer me i know u aren’t in class_

He sighed, and decided to message Lance back. The guy was really bad at looking at who he was messaging.

**(14:10) Keith:** _Wrong number, Lance._

**(14:10) Lance:** _oh shit no nonononon WRonG PER SON SORRY KEITH I WAS TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER KEITH OH MY GO D H IM GONNA DIE_

**(14:12) Lance:** _pidge how do u delete texts from other ppls phones???_

Keith laughed. How many times can you text the wrong number?

**(14:12) Keith:** _Still me, Lance._

**(14:14) Lance:** _ahhhh keith go away im tryn a talk to piDGE THIS IS IMPORTANT_

He rolled his eyes, and shoved his phone into his bag. He had fifteen minutes before his shift ended, and hoped that Pidge returned soon. He really needed something to do to pass the time, and he couldn’t leave early with no one manning the desk. Ugh.

Pidge eventually joined Keith, which gave him the excuse to leave. So he did. He left Pidge alone and went back to his apartment to chill. He kept the thought of eating the doughnuts in the back of his mind, which seemed to make him go home faster. Huh.

He walked in, and sighed. He took out the box from his bag and opened it, seeing three cinnamon sugared doughnuts. It was odd, as Lance usually only gave Pidge one or two cupcakes, and they were a lot smaller than doughnuts. He frowned, and began to overthink everything. His mind wandered to Lance and he felt his cheeks heat up, which was odd as he didn’t feel warm. His hands were freezing, and he frowned.

Oh no.

No way.

He thought of something else quickly.

Keith got used to getting good morning messages from Lance. It was weird, especially when he asked Pidge why Lance does that each morning and they replied with “Lance doesn’t text me good morning every day?” From then on, Keith began to overthink everything that Lance did. It was then when Keith started questioning his emotions towards Lance, too. He liked having long conversations via texting, and he liked having someone to beat at tests during lesson. It was nice to have someone...

It was odd to think that a month ago he barely gave any attention to Lance, but now he was a common thought in his mind. Sometimes it was a good thing, other times Keith wished he could erase Lance from his mind. Speaking of Lance, he recieved no good morning message when he woke up, and he thought it was a bit strange. He didn’t ask anyone about it, especially if Lance didn’t send other people messages like that.

He was sitting with Hunk inside the English classroom, waiting for Lance to show up. He was always late to lesson, and he didn’t even turn up to physics. Keith was talking to Hunk about something stupid (because he still hadn’t worked out what people talk about) when he got a message from Lance.

**(09:10) Lance:** _its a beautiful day to lay in and do nothing :)_

**(09:10) Lance:** _also good morning billy ray <3_

**(09:10) Lance:** _i hope we can get to do somethin today!!!_

“Lance is still in bed,” Keith said, ignoring how his cheeks felt just a little warmer than normal. Hunk raised an eyebrow. Before the other could speak, Keith was talking again. “He just sent me a message and… uh… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“He sends you more messages than me!” Hunk said, faking a sad face. He then laughed. “Tell him that if he doesn’t get to class now our plans tomorrow are cancelled.”

“Alright,” Keith said, and began to type out a message. “Are they important plans?”

“Yeah, Lance and I usually have a movie night every now and then. We’re gonna binge watch all of the Star Wars movies tomorrow night. Lance has been pumped for it for weeks.” Hunk explained, watching Keith type the message.

**(09:14) Keith:** _If you don’t come to lesson Hunk is cancelling the Star Wars marathon tomorrow._

“That’s a pretty important plan,” Keith said, turning to look at Hunk. “I sent it. Although I don’t understand why you didn’t send him a message.”

“I left my phone in my dorm,” Hunk said, on his phone, which was in his hands. Keith frowned, and Hunk looked over at him. “Okay, okay, we both know Lance would reply to you quicker than he would me.” As soon as he said that, Keith’s phone buzzed. Hunk smiled in a way that said _“I told you so.”_

**(09:15) Lance:** _oh no no tell him to not do that im getting READY OKAY SEE?_

**(09:15) Lance:** _ <SENT FILE> _

Keith opened up the file and it was a selfie of Lance, brushing his teeth in the bathroom. He was still in his pyjamas, and had a bad case of bed hair. However, he still looked pretty atracttive—wait what? He pushed those thoughts away and showed the picture to Hunk, who just sighed.

“He’s not going to make it in time,” Hunk said, spotting the teacher walk in to the room. “Even if he does, he’s gonna get at least three days of detention.”

Keith looked back at the picture and frowned. Even though he had just woken up, Lance still looked more alive than he normally did. Huh.

**(09:18) Keith:** _You’re so late. Class is already starting, and I think Hunk was serious about cancelling._

**(09:18) Lance:** _im running okay im URINNING KEITH, RUNNI_

**(09:18) Lance:** _i almost ran into a pole i hope u r happy billy ray :(_

The teacher noticed Lance was missing almost instantly, and Keith and Hunk exchanged glances. They had used many excuses to back Lance up, but they couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t already been said before. They decided not to say anything. It wasn’t their job to cover for Lance every time he was late.

 

As the day drew to an end, the group were in The Altea Bakery, sitting around a table and talking. Allura and Coran would occasionally join in, but they spent most of their time getting ready to close up shop.

Keith wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation until Allura walked over, handing Pidge their third cup of coffee. She listened in, before widening her eyes.

“Oh! Are you guys helping to plan the college dance?” Allura exclaimed, and everyone stopped talking to look at her.

“The what?” Keith asked, finally contributing to the conversation. Coran walked out from the back room, almost on cue as Allura was pointing over in his direction.

“Altea College is known for holding a dance to raise funds for a charity of their choice,” Coran explained, drying a bowl in his hands. “It’s a fun night. I remember when I went there someone almost died at the dance.” Everyone turned their attention to Coran, who just simply went back into the back room to put the bowl away.

“I can’t believe you don’t know about this dance! It’s one of the main things Altea is known for!” Allura said, and Pidge started googling something on their phone.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen posters about the dance around the halls,” they said, holding their phone up to show what the posters looked like to the others. “I just never paid any attention to them. It’s only asking for people to help plan it.”

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Allura went on about how the dance was really great, but Keith ended up zoning out. He wasn’t really a social person, so going to a dance really didn’t sound like something he would enjoy.

“We all know who Lance is going to ask to the dance,” Pidge said with a snort, before realizing what they said and awkwardly looked back at their phone.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Pidge?” Lance asked, looking over at Pidge with a slight frown. Pidge’s eyes darted from Lance to Keith to back to Lance, and Lance opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. Keith pretended like he didn’t see that, but his warm cheeks said otherwise. He just hoped no one noticed.

“Shut up, Pidge,” Lance mumbled, slouching back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I might not even want to go to this dance.”

“Lance, please, you made walk with you for two hours because the Mexican place in town was holding an opening party with free food,” Hunk said, and Keith couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“We got free food out of that, though!” Lance said, sitting up straight.

“Yeah, and food poisoning,” Hunk added, causing Lance to slouch back down. He mumbled something under his breath and rolled his eyes. Gosh, Lance was such a drama queen.

Keith heard his phone buzz, and saw a message from Shiro.

**(20:28) Shiro:** _you at home?_

**(20:28) Keith:** _No, I’m at the bakery with everyone. Why?_

**(20:28) Shiro:** _just wanted to check up on you as you didn’t come to get milkshakes tonight. Want to get some tomorrow?_

Ah, shit, Keith had forgotten about meeting up with Shiro. He looked around at his friends, who were laughing at a comment Hunk made about Lance, and went back to texting.

 

**(20:29) Keith:** _Sure. I’ll text you when I’m out of class tomorrow._

\----

 

The library was getting more and more packed as the days went by. Exam season was approaching faster than people wanted, which made the library just a little louder than Keith usually liked. He sat at the desk, highlighting some of his textbook. He spent a lot of time studying on the job, but it was fine. Pidge usually did the same when they were here. He heard someone clear their throat and he looked up. Lance was standing there, holding a familiar box.

“What book and how many days?” Keith asked, putting aside his book and looked back at the computer. Lance came in most days, holding a box of cake or cookies in exchange for a few more days to borrow a book. It was becoming the norm for Keith. He also quite liked talking to Lance, and was slowly starting to be able to put up with his annoyance.

“Actually I was going to ask you for something else,” Lance said, which made Keith worry. Nothing Lance asked for was good.

“And what’s that exactly? If it’s to join you and Hunk’s spa night, I’m going to decline again,” Keith said, and Lance shook his head.

He put the box on the desk, sliding it over to Keith. “Sooooo, Friday,” Lance said, leaning against the desk, trying to look ‘cool’.

“What about it?” Keith asked, opening up the box to see what Lance had given him today. Three cupcakes. Unusal, especially as Lance had no books to return. Something was up.

“Are you free then?” Lance tapped his fingers against the desk, looking down at Keith, who raised an eyebrow, and shrugged.

“Depends on what you’re asking me to do,” he said, looking up at Lance in confusion. “If it’s a spa day, then I’m not free.”

“It’s not a spa day. I just wanted to ask if…” Lance paused to find the right words. He opened his mouth, before closing it and repeating the process a few times. He reminded Keith of a goldfish.

“Ask if what?” Keith asked, as Pidge came running in, looking happier than normal.

“Lance! You’ve asked him, haven’t you? I hope so! Did you say yes, Keith? You better have,” Pidge said quickly, and Keith looked at them, confused.

“I was just about to ask him before _someone--”_ Lance glared at Pidge, “—interrupted me.”

Keith sat there, watching as Lance and Pidge began to talk about something Keith knew nothing about. He checked the time, and decided to pack away his things. He might as well leave early, seeing as Pidge was now here. He walked out from behind the desk, smiled at Pidge as he walked out. Lance was quick to follow him.

“Wait, Keith,” Lance called out, grabbing Keith by the arm and walking alongside him. “Are you free Friday? ‘Cus, y’know, the dance thing… and…. I was thinking maybe we could go together?” Lance asked, causing Keith to stop walking.

“Together?” Keith repeated, feeling his cheeks grow warm. _No, he didn’t mean like **that.**_

“A-As bros! As bros, y’know? Two guys… going to a dance as bros!” Lance laughed nervously, and Keith shrugged.

“I… sure. I’m being dragged along anyway because Pidge signed me up to take photographs, so yeah. I guess we can go together,” Keith paused, before adding “as bros” on the end.

Lance grinned, the stupid grin that Keith hated, and gave Keith a thumbs up. “I’ll pick you up Friday, then, Billy Ray!” He then stopped talking and grinned even wider (if that was possible) “You’re a photographer?”

“I’m taking a class for extra credit, that’s all. I wouldn’t say I’m any good at it,” Keith said, and Lance just nodded.

“I’m sure you’re great! Anyway, see you Friday, bro.” Lance winked.

Keith rolled his eyes, watching Lance leave. He couldn’t help but smile, the familiar blush settling on his cheeks.

 

As he got back to his apartment, he took a quick shower and decided to study whilst watching a show on Netflix. He couldn’t help but think about what happened today. It wasn’t like they were going as dates, right? Right? Ugh. Bros meant…. Friends. Friends. They were going together as friends. Something about that phrase made Keith feel funny inside. It was an odd feeling and he tried to ignore it and focus on the TV show.

Night rolled around quicker than expected and Keith ended up going to bed rather early. He was exhausted from today, and needed a lot of sleep. He also needed to stop thinking about Lance. It made his heart beat race and Keith wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He fell asleep to the conversation they had earlier replaying in his mind.

He woke up at three am, and grabbed his phone. He opened up Lance’s messages and typed something quickly. It was important and Keith didn’t want to forget about it in the morning. He normally had urgent things to tell people at this time of night.

**(03:32) Keith:** _did you tka e the chickkens outside???_

**(03:32) Keith:** _bab e t eh chickens ???_

**(03:32) Lance:** _keith its 3am what are you talking about???_

_ <INCOMING CALL FROM KEITH> _

“Keith? Is everything okay?” Lance asked, and Keith mumbled something inaudible. “What?”

“The chickens, Lance. They’re going to get cold,” he said, his voice sounding sad, like he was upset. “Why did you put them outside?”

“Keith, I don’t… What are you talking about?” Lance asked through a yawn.

“The chickens, Lance! They are cold…” Keith’s voice went quieter towards the end. “They’ll die without love… bring them inside…”

“Go back to sleep, Keith,” Lance mumbled, and there was moving around heard on the other end. “You’re tired.”

“Fine… I love you, Lance,” Keith said, before ending the call and laying back down.

**(03:35) Keith:** _< 3<3<3<3<3<3 _

**(03:35) Keith:** _don’t forget abouht the chcike ns lanc e I lov eyou <3<3_

He fell back asleep.

The next morning, Keith awoke to knocking on his door. He groaned, checking the time and frowning. Who wanted to talk to him at 8am? He got out of bed, putting on a shirt and walking to the door. He opened it, seeing Lance and Pidge standing there. Pidge nodded at Lance, and walked down the hallway. Huh?

“Is everything okay?” Keith asked, seeing the concern on Lance’s face.

“You called me at three am asking about the chickens?” Lance said. “And then you said… something else, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay?”

“Chickens? I was asleep at three am,” Keith said, crossing his arms over his chest. Lance just nodded.

“Well, uh, you sent me a message and called me. I may have read into the words a little too much though... I thought the chickens was an elaborate metaphor for your life,” Lance said, taking a step back. “I’ll leave you be if you want.”

“Wait, what exactly did I say?” Keith asked, suddenly curious as to what happened last night.

“You said that I needed to bring the chickens in otherwise they’ll get cold and that they need love,” Lance started to explain, “and I began to think that the chickens were a metaphor for you and that you needed love and warmth? Pidge thought the idea was stupid.”

“Yeah, that sounds stupid,” Keith laughed. “For the amount of English classes you miss, you sure can analyse words well.”

“I told you, Lance! I told you he was fine!” Pidge shouted from down the hall. They gave the two privacy, but it wasn’t much privacy if they could hear the conversation.

“Oh, wait, no, I know what I did,” Keith groaned, slapping a hand over his face in embarassment. “I do this weird thing in my sleep sometimes where I just call people randomly? I sleepwalk a lot, too. You just so happened to be the one I called.”

“Right… That explains it…” Lance said, looking down at the floor. “Well, I’ll leave you be, now. Come on, Pidge! We’re leaving! Bye, Keith!” And with that, they were gone. Keith shrugged, and shut the door. He went back to his room to text Shiro about today’s plans when he saw the message he sent to Lance.

Oh no.

He groaned, falling onto his bed, and covered his face with his hand. Why did he have to do stupid things like that?

He hoped he didn’t creep out Lance with that text...

 

Friday rolled around and Keith was growing more and more nervous as he sat on his couch, waiting for Lance to knock at the door. Friends. They were going as friends. Just friends. Friends friends friends friend. Keith just needed to keep telling himself that. He clutched his camera close to him as he heard a knock at his door. He stood up, way too quickly as he had to stand still for a few moments to get rid of the dizziness, and he walked to the door. He opened it and couldn’t help but smile when he saw Lance. Sure, the guy was attractive enough normally, but Keith couldn’t help but _stare_ at Lance in a suit. His cheeks went red and oh no he was making this weird.

“Keith, you with me?” Lance asked, waving his hand in front of Keith’s face. He awkwardly nodded.

“Yes, yeah, I’m – sorry, I didn’t mean to—“ Keith just closed his mouth. He was going to end up making a fool of himself if he carried on talking anymore. “Let’s just go, okay?”

Lance nodded, as he and Keith began to walk down and out of Keith’s apartment building. Keith kept looking over at Lance every now and then, and it was then that he realized that Lance looked _really good_ in that tux. He didn’t realize Lance was talking to him until he heard him laugh.

“Man, you really are out of it tonight, Billy Ray,” Lance said, as Keith shoved his hands into his pockets and groaned at the nickname. “Anyway, Hunk wants to check out the food as soon as we get there, so we’re gonna do that. Allura and Coran baked a lot of stuff, so that was pretty nice of them. Pidge said something about hacking into the sound system to put on good music, but we managed to stop them before they thought of a way to do it. And you need to take photographs, right?”

Keith nodded.

“Okay, so we have a plan. Get food, stop Pidge, take photos,” Lance said. Keith looked down at the camera that was hanging around his neck, and looked back up at Lance. Would it be weird if he took photos of Lance? Yeah, that was weird. Shut up, Keith.

 

The hall had been decorated to look like a party room, and honestly Keith wasn’t too shocked. It wasn’t terrible like he imagined it to be. (He imagined a lot of things about tonight that he hoped would come true.) Lance grabbed his arm, dragging him over to where Pidge and Hunk were standing. It was weird to see everyone in something other than their everyday clothes, and Keith decided that he prefered everyone to be wearing normal clothes. (Except Lance, he can keep wearing that tux.)

“Keith! You look good!” Pidge said, and Keith had a hard time hearing them over the loud music.

“Uh, thanks?” Keith shouted, and tried to listen in to what everyone was saying. He heard the word food mentioned, and assumed they were going to go check out the food. He waited for someone to leave, but no one went over to the table. Huh. Maybe not, then.

 

For most of the night, Keith was either taking photos of the dance for the college website or struggling to hear what people were saying over the music. He also spent a lot of time looking at Lance, because _how can someone look so good in a tux that’s so unfair._

He didn’t even realize he was staring until he felt someone poke his arm.

“Earth to Keith!”

He jumped, and turned around to see Pidge. Before he could say anything, they were pulling him outside.

“Were you staring at Lance?” They asked, and Keith regretted not being back inside where he couldn’t hear anyone talk.

He blushed and looked away, trying to form an answer. “I was... I wasn’t staring. I just... happened to look in his direction.”

Pidge tilted their head to the side and Keith sighed. “Okay, fine, maybe I was staring.”

“I knew it! Hunk owes me ten bucks!” They exclaimed, and Keith’s eyes widened.

“Wait, what?”

“We made bets to see who would like the other first. Looks like I woooon!” Pidge sung out, and Keith shook his head.

“I don’t like Lance! Shut up, no,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Pidge got out their phone and showed Keith some messages.

“Lance isn’t the only one you text when you’re half asleep,” they said, as Keith began to read through the messages.

**(02:58) Keith:** _Pidfge i lov eLance.?? Foes he like meback??_

**(02:58) Keith:** _Piiideg youre smartt uyou shouldnknow thes  ethif s_

**(02:59) Keith:** _Tell Lanxce I lvoe him ple a s e,,, olea se pidge ???_

**(02:59) Keith:** _lov e his stupid stuoud face and his stuoid sjoke s he sso good??? threE Dkughtnuts, Pideg... thr e e!!_

Keith groaned, handing the phone back to Pidge with an obvious blush. “That doesn’t mean anything.” He said, but Pidge handed their phone back to him.

**(10:13) Hunk:** _does Keith ever randomly text you about Lance during the night?_

**(10:18) Pidge:** _sorry in class but yes all the time, kinda cute if you ask me_

**(10:19) Hunk:** _ <SENT A SCREENSHOT> _

Keith tapped on the image.

**(03:34) Keith:** _Hunk I thiijnk I love Lanc e??? He gave em food a and i lov ehim_

**(03:34) Keith:** _Im gonna a ask lLanc et o the dance !! im ginna a do jt_

**(03:35) Keith:** _Also dont gorget about the pumpkins !!!_

 

Keith frowned at Pidge, who was grinning widely. They took their phone back and poked Keith on the cheek.

“You like him. You totally like him!” They said, jumping up and down excitedly. “I knew it! I knew you liked Lance! You always got all blushy around him.”

“I’m not going to admit it,” Keith mumbled, as Pidge thought of an idea. They took off the camera from around Keith’s neck and grinned.

“Go ask Lance to dance with you.”

 

Lance was standing by the food table with Hunk, looking around at everyone. He was trying to spot Keith or Pidge, but couldn’t see them anywhere. He was kind of worried. Hunk noticed something was up and handed him a cup of punch.

“Can you see Keith anywhere? Or Pidge?” Lance asked, taking the cup and drinking the punch down in one. “I can’t see him- them- anywhere.”

Hunk looked around and shook his head. “Maybe they went to the bathroom? Or went outside to get some air?” He suggested, and Lance sighed. “Okay, that’s the third time in the past ten minutes you’ve sighed. What’s wrong?”

“Keith. He’s... He’s been...” Lance ran a hand through his hair and looked at Hunk. “Does he like me?”

“Uh, yeah, of course he does. We all like you, Lance,” Hunk said as Lance shook his head.

“No, no, I mean does he _like_ like me?” He asked. “Because I think I might _like_ like him but I’m not sure. I always go to the library whenever Keith’s on his shift to give him food from the bakery- and I don’t even need to extend my due date on my books anymore! Is that weird?”

Hunk just grinned. Oh boy, Pidge owed him ten bucks. “You know, I think I saw him walk in just now. Maybe you should go ask him?” He suggested, pushing Lance into the crowd of people.

 

Keith looked around, before spotting Lance walking over to him. Oh no.

“Hey! I’ve been looking for you,” Lance said, a smile on his face. Keith awkwardly returned the smile.

“Oh, me too,” he said, and they stood there in silence for a few moments.

“So I-“

“So I-“

Oh. That was awkward.

“You go first,” Keith said, and Lance cleared his throat.

“I was wondering...” He paused, trying to think of the right words to say. The music changed and Keith’s eyes widened.

“I love this song,” he said, mostly to himself. Lance took this opportunity and smiled.

“Let’s go dance, then,” Lance said, holding his hand out for Keith to take. Keith hesititated, before grabbing Lance’s hand and letting him pull him towards the sea of people.

It was a weird song to dance to, as it wasn’t slow yet it wasn’t fast. It was more of a weird dancing song. Either way, the two still made it work, and they danced until the song ended.

Keith looked up at Lance with a grin, and decided that now was the best time to tell Lance. He pulled him off to the side, never letting go of Lance’s hands.

 

Pidge and Hunk met up outside. They had both demanded their ten bucks, before laughing. They then frowned and ran back inside. They didn’t want to miss the getting together of their two friends.

 

“So, uh, can I ask you something? Wait, no, ask is the wrong word. Can I _tell_ you something?” Keith asked, thankful that the next song was quiet and slow.

“Sure! I need to tell you something after, though,” Lance said, watching Keith take a deep breath.

“I like you,” he said, “but not in a normal way, I _like_ like you, you know? It’s stupid, and I’ve probably weirded you out, but... I don’t know. Pidge made me aware of it earlier and... that’s all I have to say.”

Lance’s eyes widened, and for a moment Keith thinks that he’s just ruined his friendship with Lance. It wasn’t until Lance was _hugging_ him that he realized that maybe he didn’t ruin the friendship.

“I _like_ like you too, Keith,” Lance said, smiling when he felt Keith return the hug. “Hunk made me realize that I liked you... wait a minute.” Lance broke the hug, which made Keith feel a little disappointed. “Where are they?”

Keith looked around and saw them in a corner, smiling widely and giving the two of them thumbs up. “They’re over there. I think they had planned this all out, to be honest.”

Lance said something that Keith couldn’t hear, and looked back at him with a grin. The same stupid grin that Keith was learning to love.

“Would you carry on the rest of this dance as my date, not my bro?” Lance asked, and Keith couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> lmao sorry if any characters sounded ooc, this is the first voltron fic thing ive written  
> also im gonna edit this later so things may change idk  
> but yea !! thats that i guess :)


End file.
